Union leaders have warned that the biggest rail strike in a generation will continue until the government meets the wage demands of its members, as pressure on the government to prevent actions with last-minute talks increases.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mick Lynch, general secretary of the railway union RMT, warned that next week’s strikes will be followed by new actions that will last all year and beyond, unless an agreement is reached.
“Until there is an agreement, there will be a strike campaign, and other unions will join us. . . “I hope there will be more strikes,” Lynch said.
On Tuesday, 40,000 Network Rail employees of 13 train operators will begin their strike over wage disputes and layoffs, which are expected to cause a major disruption to transport.
Lynch said the rail strike could still be canceled in the next 48 hours if train companies accepted their demands on job loss, pay and working conditions. “We have a threat to jobs. We want a guarantee of non-mandatory dismissals,” he told LBC.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accused the RMT of “throwing” strikes that would be “punishing millions of innocent people, instead of calmly discussing the sensible and necessary reforms we need to make to protect our rail network.” “.
He said the RMT was “jumping the gun”, adding that it “seems determined to strike” instead of focusing on negotiations.
The RMT has said that the wage increases being discussed, just 2 per cent, were inadequate as inflation is expected to reach 11 per cent this year. Union members voted for a six-month strike in May, leaving more strikes in the summer and fall.
The think tank at the Institute for Fiscal Studies argued on Sunday that the government had done enough to help low-paid workers as inflation soared, even if demands for an increase in the RMT they were “understandable.”
“If everyone does that [agreeing to significant pay rises]then this would mean that inflation is taking over the economy, so we would all be better off if we all embrace wage increases from low inflation, “IFS Director Paul Johnson told Times Radio.
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He added that the government had spent a “large amount of money” this year to support the standard of living of the people.
“They [rail workers] In fact, there is no need to get a fully inflation-protected wage increase this year because, especially for low-income people, the level of government support is really, outside of Covid, almost unprecedented. “
The opposition Labor Party has demanded that the government hold last-minute talks with the unions to prevent a strike.
In a letter to Shapps sent on Sunday, shadow transport minister Louise Haigh wrote: “The only way to fix this is for your government to stop boycotting talks and get back on the table.”
Lisa Nandy, the shadow secretary of Labor, said the government had not properly aligned itself with the unions. “None of us want the strikes to continue,” he told the BBC.
Kwasi Kwarteng, company secretary, accused unions of “bribing” workers to go on strike, citing an increase in daily strike payments made by the Unison union from £ 25 a day to £ 50 a day. from the first day of the strike. instead of the fourth day.
The strikes will take place on June 21, 23 and 25 with Network Rail warning that the disruption is expected to last for the days between the action.
A disruption is expected on all major UK train lines, including the London Underground, LNER, Avanti West Coast and many commuter railways.